These Boots Are Made For Walkin'

Before we start, can I just say... in case I haven't said it yet... check out www.thegingercooks.blogspot.com  It's my cooking blog, and it's starting to get some awesome to it.  They're generally easy and definitely tasty recipes (I don't like wasting calories on things that don't taste good).  So, come visit.  And comment.  (lots of visitors, not a lot of commenters...)

And now...  shoes.

I have a very clear memory of the first time I was walking through a mall and wanted a pair of shoes.  Not in a childish "I need shoes for school" way, but in a grown-up "I would like to wear those with a sweater I own" kind of way.  I was at the Bon in Calgary, and they were (Canadian-)red suede (Doc Marten-STYLE) boots.  And my dad, instead of saying "ooh yeah, those are interesting" said "why don't we get them."  My mind = blown.  You can buy shoes?  Just for having?  Just for fun?

To this day I can't bring myself to get rid of them.  They remain (with my green docs I got at the Doc Shoppe in Northampton, my bearclaws and character shoes) in a box at my parent's house.  Those boots will probably never be cool again.  They possibly weren't cool then, but I can't bring myself to get rid of them yet.  And now that I think of it, when are bright red shoes okay?  Was it a mistake from the begining?

"Everybody thinks they have good taste and a sense of humor but they couldn't possibly all have good taste and a sense of humor." - When Harry Met Sally

I generally think I have good taste (and a sense of humor, but that is hardly the point).  However, I am now fully aware that I have a giant blind-spot.  Which is... shoes.

My name is Sarah Thompson, and I have to call people to see if shoes are ugly or not when I'm purchasing them.

Soon after college, I for some reason became obsessed with roos.  You know, the shoes with a pocket in them.  A POCKET.  and although after a quick search, I can see there are still MANY Roos I am interested in wearing, the pair that I chose were... umm... horrible?

Sorry this is such a small picture, but that is what they look like.  Ish.  Except brown with baby-pink accents.  And, honestly, I don't really know what the problem is.  But I was told by many people that they were "funky" or "interesting."  It took the husband (then "the lieutenant") who said "those shoes are hideous" to make me take action. 

And sometimes I buy just ridiculous shoes.  Like these.  (not the actual shoe... the actual ones have a RED heel)  I call them my "lucky shoes" and were purchased at the cutest little mom/pop shoes store at Gardner Village that I was so sad to see leave one day.  Anyway, I was surprised to put these shoes into my real life and realize that I can almost never wear them.  You'd think there would be 100 reasons to wear these shoes.  I wear them about 2-4 times a year, and many times it's a stretch. 

So let it come to no shock if you get a frantic email, text or phone call from me about shoes.  Like this pair (that I bought... thank you to the four people I texted).

Or this pair (that I didn't buy... thank you to Jon, who talked me down).

This is my confession for the day.  and please forgive me if you see me and notice my shoes are super ugly.  In my mind, there is a very fine line between "super ugly" and "I need to have these" when it comes to shoes.  I wonder why that is...